Electric plug



y 1950 s. F. SHOUCAIR 2,505,918

ELECTRIC PLUG Filed Sept. 7, 1948 INVENTOR. Samz'RSfioucaz'r Patented May 2, 1950 UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE ELECTRIG PLUG Sami F. shoucair, Beirut, Lebanon Application September 7, 1948, Serial No. 48,104

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to electric plugs, and more particularly to a two-wire appliance plug wherein the wires may be rapidly connected to the plug without the use of tools and without opening the plug.

A main object ofthe invention is to provide a novel and improved electric plug which is very simple in construction, wherein very little manual effort is required to connect the line wires thereto, and wherein a secure connection is made with said line wires.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved electric plug wherein no tools or implements are required to connect the line cord wires thereto, wherein theline cord connections may be made rapidly and with only a small amount of manual efiort, and wherein the line wires may be readily detached from the plug whenever desired, said plug being compact in size, cheap to manufacture, and rugged in construction.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the followin description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an electric plug constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the electric plug of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on line 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective detail view of a prong element employed in the plug of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a plunger member employed in the plug of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the plunger member of Figure 7, shown in inverted position.

Referring to the drawings, the plug body is designated generally at H. Said body comprises similar mating segments I2 and I3 of insulating material secured together by transverse bolt members M, M. The segments are formed with internal cavities I5 and are thickened at their forward marginal portions, as shown at l6, l6. Embedded in the thickened portions I6, I 6 of segment |2 are the ends of a pair of prongs |1, |1. Said ends are formed with opposed projections iii to improve the bond between the prongs and thethickened portions |6, |6 of segment l2. The corresponding thickened portions of segment I 3 are recessed to receive the exposed portions of the prongs when the segments are brought together in mating relationship. Each pron I? has a rearwardly extending apertured lug element I 9 for soldering a wire 20thereto.

Asshown in Figures 3 and 4, the segments I2 and i3 are each formed with vertically aligned pairs of spaced internal lugs 2|, 2| and 22, 22, which, when the segments are brought together in mating relation, define vertical guideways, as viewed in Figures 3 and 4. Between the said pairs of lugs 2|, 2| and22, 22each segment is formed with a projection 23, terminating in a semi-cylindrical recess 24. When the segments are brought together in mating relation, the recesses 24 define a bore axially aligned with the above described vertical guideways. Slidably positioned in said guideways are rectangular plunger blocks 25, 25 of insulating material, formed at their inner ends with circular recesses 26, in which are seated the ends of a coiled spring 21, which passes through the bore defined by the recesses 24. Spring 21 biases the plunger blocks 25, 25apart.

Each plungerblock 25 has a square-shank 28 which passesslidably through a square passage defined by mating channelled projections 26' in the segments l2 and I3. Secured to the face of each block 25, adjacent its shank 28, is a knurled metal contact plate 30, the plate 39 and underlying face portion being counterbored around shank 28, as shown at 3|, to receive the inner end portions of the mating projections 29. Secured to the outer ends of the shanks 28, are push button elements 32. Secured to the respective segment surfaces, facing contact plate 30, are opposing knurled metal contact plate elements 33. The contact plate elements 33 of the segment |2 are connected to the respective prong lugs l9 by the wires 20, 26. The shanks 28 are formed with apertures 34, which may be brought into registry with opposed similar apertures formed in the projections 29 by pressing inwardly on the button elements 32, 32.

The mating rear marginal portions of the segments I2 and I3 are formed with grooved ribs 35, 35 defining passages 36, 36 for the line wires, shown at 31, 31. The passages 36, 36 terminate rearwardly adjacent the respective contact plates 3|], 33 and are respectively in registry with. the openings in the projections 29 associated with each set of contact plates 3|], 33.

In connecting the line wires 31, 31 to the plug,

said line wires are inserted in the passages 36, 36 and pushed through said passages, the button elements 32, 32 being pressed inwardly to bring the shank openings 34 into registry with the openings in the respective projections 29. The wire ends pass between the respective sets of contact plates through the openings in the projections 29 and the openings 34 in shanks 2B. When the button elements 32, 32 are released, the wire ends are gripped between the knurled contact plates 30, 33 by the expansive force exerted by spring 21 and are thereby securely connected to the plug.

To disconnect the line wires from the plug, the button elements 32, 32 are pushed inwardly and the wires are merely pulled out of the passages 36, 36.

While a specific embodiment of a quick-connectable electric plug has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A quick-connectable plug, comprising companion casing sections having main recesses and grooves in the meeting edges of the casing sections for receiving wires, means to detachably connect the casing sections, guide lugs arranged within the recesses and secured to the casing sections and having their inner ends spaced and arranged near the grooves, the guide lugs forming block guides, inner guide lugs arranged between the outer guide lugs and disposed within the main recesses and secured to the casing sections, the inner guide lugs forming a spring guide, insulating blocks slidable within the outer guides, a spring arranged between the insulating blocks and held within the inner guide and engaging the inner ends of the insulating blocks, outer metallic plates arranged within the casing sections adjacent to the grooves, inner metallic plates carried by the outer ends of the blocks and arranged in opposed relation to the outer plates to clamp the ends of the Wires against the outer plates, rods connected with the blocks and extending to the exterior of the casing sections,

4 and metallic prongs carried by the casing sections and electrically connected with certain of the metallic plates.

2. A quick-connectable plug, comprising companion casing sections having main recesses and grooves in the meeting edges of the casing sections for receiving wires, means to detachably connect the casing sections, outer guide lugs arranged within the recesses and secured to the casing sections and having their inner ends spaced and arranged adjacent to the grooves, the guide lugs forming block guides, inner guide lugs arranged between the outer guide lugs and disposed within the main recesses and secured to the casing sections, the inner guide lugs forming a spring guide, insulating blocks slidable within the outer guides, a spring arranged between the insulating blocks and held within the inner guide and engaging the inner ends of the blocks, apertured outer metallic plates arranged within the casing sections adjacent to the grooves, apertured inner metallic plates carried by the outer ends of the blocks and arranged in opposed relation to the outer plates, rods connected with the blocks and passing through the apertures of the inner and outer plates and extending to the exterior of the casing sections, said rods having transverse openings to receive the ends of the wires which are clamped between the inner and outer plates, and metallic prongs carried by the casing sections and electrically connected with certain of the metallic plates.

SAMI F. SHOUCAIR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 137,810 Wishart Apr, 15, 1873 296,160 Goodbody Apr. 1, 1884 1,404,098 Dennis Jan. 17, 1922 1,637,836 Rubin Aug. 2, 1927 1,830,247 Scott Nov. 3, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 535,367 France Jan. 24, 1922 

